Webb Gilpin's Webb Page

I just read that Pork-barrel spending is costing us-the American taxpayer-close to or over $17,000,000,000 a year! That is a LOT of our money. Allow me to give you some examples of Pork-barrel spending;  1) $375,000,000 for an unrequested and unneeded amphibious assault ship in the state of Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), 2)  $700,000 for the Admiral Theater in Bremerton, Washington, the district of House appropriator Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), despite a $4.2 million privately-funded facelift; and; 3) $500,000 for the Olympic Tree Program in the state of Senate appropriator Robert Bennett for the 2002 Winter Olympics. These three examples are for the year 2000. For those of you that are a little fuzzy as to just what Pork-barrel spending is all about, here is a short and accurate explanation; Pork-barrel spending amounts to nothing more than bribe-taking, where politicians use their constituents’ tax dollars to support their reelection. It’s a game of hide-and-seek that harms our representative form of democracy and threatens our fiscal stability.                     In fiscal 2008, pork-barrel spending ballooned to 11,612 projects costing $17.2 billion and when an amendment to impose a one-year earmark moratorium in the fiscal year 2009 Budget was defeated, this was “heard”; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) opposed the ban as “unrealistic” and even went so far as to erroneously claim that earmarking “has been going in this country for 230-some-odd years,” and that “The Founding Fathers would be cringing to hear people talking about eliminating earmarks.” For more on this “salty” subject, go to; http://www.cagw.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=11322&news_iv_ctrl=1022

April 3^rd was a special day for our families; Emily Rose Harrison was born! All 6 lb. 12 oz. and 17” My daughter Lisa and her man Bern are now Grandparents and you know what that makes me…I’m not old enough for that yet!! Mother Cori and father Brad are doing fine.

My youngest son-in-law came down from Narrowsburg to help the “old” man cut and split some wood I had stored on the hill. I was grateful for the help and didn’t hesitate to thank him for showing up. We cut and split for about a half hour when I decided I needed a “sit-down”. He had the audacity to ask me if I was OK. “Yeah, I’m ok”, I felt like answering, “I just can’t keep up with a robotic machine built like a person”. He took the hint and we sat and talked a bit until I could breathe normal again. Darned youngsters! However, we got a nice lot of wood cut and split.

During our time on the hill working, I allowed my mind to wander back to days gone by, back to the times of my ancestors; my Great grandfather J.W. Hause, my Great Uncle Raymond and my Dad when they hunted the woods or worked the fields. It was comforting in a way to realize that there is hardly one square inch of the hill that J.W. or my uncle or Dad didn’t walk on and that I have been treading on or perhaps in their footsteps, putting my invisible mark there for my children to follow. What a wonderful and comforting feeling.

If you have been anywhere near the Delaware River (and now much closer to home), you have no doubt noticed the signs protesting the proposed power line running along the Del. River to supply not needed power to NY and parts of NJ. The uproar is the 200 foot (or more) clear-cut right-of-way needed for the high voltage line. NOW, PPL is getting into the act by reporting their supposed need of a HV line from Berwick to the Del River running just NE of Scranton. I most sincerely hope the line never gets off the ground unless it’s by an alternate route that won’t impact the environment as severely as the one “they” want. Look into this!!!

Love to get it in the open and off my chest. However, we still have to ……Watch the Ice.

Webb                                                  webbgjr@verizon.net                        © 2008 Webb Gilpin, Jr.

OK, let’s get the boring stuff out of the way; the turkeys are still coming in, all 21 of them and the computer and I are starting to become friends again. Not best friends, just friends. And I still haven’t adjusted to Windows Office Pro 2007. Maybe over the summer???

I checked my bulb flowers and all of them are showing above the ground; crocus, daffodils, hyacinths, blood root, tulips and a few more in the rock garden. The flowers are coming up and the temperature isn’t! Now is that fair? And did the woodchuck get it right? I wonder…

This Saturday, the 5^th of April, there will be a spaghetti dinner served at the Masonic Hall in Hamlin. The serving hours are from 3PM to 8PM with take-outs available. $8 for tickets at the door and $6 for seniors. Remember last issue and my mention of the “cooks”? 689-4000 for additional info. I’ll be there with my appetite armed and fully loaded!!!

On the first Monday of April at 1 PM, the Greene-Dreher Hist Soc is running their first general meeting at the WSCS Hall on Rt 191 in S. Sterling. Bernadine Lennon will present the history of the WSCS Hall from the year it was built (1904) for the Patriotic Sons of America Washington Camp 422 (South Sterling) through the ownership by the Women’s Society for Christian Service (WSCS) and up to the present ownership by the historical society. Drop by and say hello.

I put the bluebird houses out. I have two of them on the hill and expect to see nest building going on soon. I should put a few smaller houses up on the edges of the fields for those pesky, but fascinating tree swallows. Those little flycatchers give the bluebirds a fit, trying to muscle in and take over the bluebird houses. I watched last year with interest as the swallows made many attempts at driving the bigger birds away, but it didn’t work. The bluebirds ignored them and just kept right on building until finally the smaller birds gave up.

Here’s some really neat definitions for your amusement. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding
stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of
breaking down in the near future. Foreploy (v): Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of
getting lucky. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period. Lots of that one going around!

This might sound a little morbid, but… I can’t be cremated; I don’t want to burn twice. However, because I’m claustrophobic, you can’t close the lid on the coffin either. I guess it won’t really matter, will it? I mean, I ain’t going!

Early in the winter season, I tried to figure out how much wood I’d burn this year and then pile up what I thought would be enough to carry me through to warm weather. I didn’t quite make it; I’m still tractoring over to the farm and dragging back seasoned maple, iron wood (when I can find it) and some beech. In a way, getting wood this late in the season is good for me; it gets me out to exercise. And I need the exercise! Dick Dunning, one of my dearest friends, compared me to…never mind who, let’s just say it wasn’t a nice comparison. I would like to lose some weight, but my mouth gets in the way. I am going to try to lose a little weight. Wish me luck.

Earlier this week, I went to Hawley (Rt 507) and then returned to Newfoundland via Hamlin (Rt 590) and then Rt 191.That was the first time I really noticed the buildup on 507, 590 and 191. Amazing! Like another world. Progress, they calls it!

Everyone stay safe; use a coaster under your drink and…..Watch the Ice.

Webb                                                  webbgjr@verizon.net                        © 2008 Webb Gilpin, Jr.

Remember March 8^th? The afternoon and night of the “big blow”? When the temperature dropped like the proverbial lead balloon? And in some places the lights and phone and TV went south? Is it coming back to you yet? The reason I mention it is because there was one clap of thunder accompanied by a blinding flash of lightening that sent me under the bed! The last time I heard a bang like that is the night I lost my hard drive. That happened years ago and now if there’s a storm within 20 miles, I turn the machine off and sometimes I even unplug it. Yes, all four machines. By the way, I thought PPL and Verizon did a very good job restoring service.

And speaking of computers (Oh no! He’s not going there again, is he?) As a matter of fact I am, but it will be short and might save you some aggravation later on. My machine started to give me problems and it was suggested that possibly the only cure was to reformat the hard drive and reinstall Win XP. I decided to install a bigger HD at the same time. So… I removed my old HD and installed the new one along with Win XP Royale. Never heard of it? Neither had I, but I wish I had. It gave me nothing but troubles. So I removed it and installed Win XP Pro. Now that one I like. If you’ve had to reinstall after a format, you know what I’m going through. No matter how careful you are, you’ll lose something important. In my case, it was my e-mail addresses! Pain! I still have a few programs to reinstall and a lot of files to transfer from the old HD (now an external HD labeled “H”). I didn’t have to do the formatting and installing myself, there’s a fella I know (Mike Oswald-676-9532) that will come to your house if necessary and correct most if not all the problems your computer is causing. And he doesn’t charge an arm and a leg. Next time, if there is a next time….

Turkey report; there are now five full grown Toms (Long-beards) along with a like number of Jakes and 15-17 hens coming in 2 and 3 times a day for a handout. One of the Toms (the Boss) struts around and occasionally gobbles, impressing both the ladies and me. He will come within 10 feet of me and eat some of the corn I put out for the squirrels. You can be sure I have some good footage and stills in my cameras. I have to add that there are 8 deer following the turkeys, but of course I don’t feed them… J

Ruth Altemier has been helping Sam Jackson put together the Greene-Dreher Hist Soc quarterly booklet Green Hills of Home and she’s done a very good job. I mention this because the Hist Soc is one of the more worthwhile organizations around here and I highly recommend that Greene and Dreher Twp residents look into it. Try Greentown Agway for a copy of the booklet.

Little tip for you; if you see an advertisement for a meal put on by the Masons, go. Their Lodge is in Hamlin and their chef is non-other than the chef from Knobby’s Restaurant on Rt 507. I’m sure you understand, don’t you?

Last year I had some trees harvested around the house and one of them was a big shag bark hickory. Unfortunately, is wasn’t possible to get it out and I had to resign myself to cutting it up for firewood. Hickory, for the uninformed is very heavy wood. The butt measured over 2 feet across and I left that where I found it. Anyway, today my grandson (the one born on my b-day) came to help the old man split the remaining 15 chunks. I had borrowed my brother’s horizontal/vertical splitter and that was just what the doctor ordered. Except after we were all done, I couldn’t straighten up! Darned kid asked if there were any more pieces to split. Good grief, I could hardly walk and he asked me that. I gave him a couple of bucks and sent him home!!!

If you are still ice fishing, you better……..Watch the Ice.

Webb                                                  webbgjr@verizon.net                        © 2008 Webb Gilpin, Jr.

A couple of years ago, I left my bug whacker up (and lit) all winter. No good reason for doing it, just never got around to pulling the plug and when I did think about turning it off, I was used to the light shining in the bedroom window and decided to just leave it on all winter. WELL, now I’m looking at my big old plastic illuminated snowman and thinking “What harm?” If it was good enough for the bug light, why not the snowman?

Early this week…or was it late last week…some of the biggest flakes of the winter fell. No, not my in-laws, I mean snow flakes. Good grief! Anyway, they flooded my poor little brain with thoughts of yesteryear. Brother Buck and I would stand under the 40 watt light high up on the farm house and watch the flakes slowly floating to earth. Granted, a 40 watt bulb isn’t very bright, but it was plenty bright enough for us. We’d lock on to one flake and then move around trying to get it to land in our mouths. All too soon, we would get the call to come in and get ready for bed. Remember the smell of wet snow pants? One thing that’s always struck me as funny is that I got colder swimming in the Wallenpaupack Creek in August than playing in the snow in January.

My Mother and I go to this little Methodist Church in LaAnna and then we stop at Spanky’s for a light breakfast. Last Sunday, we got a little extra for our money; we saw a Bald Eagle circling around over the south end of Newfoundland. There was no mistaking what it was, the white head and tail stood out like a beacon on a dark night. I try to go to the Delaware River once a week and if I’m not fishing, I’m critter watching and one of the critters I’m watching is the eagle. The best place down there for eagle watching is the junction of the Delaware and Lackawaxen Rivers. Also a very good place to fish. There’s a place to park on the Pa. side and fishing from the shore is OK. While you’re there, check out the Zane Grey museum and the Roebling Bridge.

This thought gives me the shutters; I’m this close to being a Great grand father! Can you believe it, me at …now what age am I? Oh well…My eldest daughters oldest son Brad and his wife Cori are soon-to-be-parents. There was a baby shower for Cori last Saturday and Barry (my Narrowsburg son-in-law) stayed here and split wood and played on the computer. I enjoyed his company. Regrettably, we don’t see him or our youngest as often as we would like, but that’s how it goes. As a matter of fact, I don’t get to see either son-in-law as often as I would like. Both are very family and built like tanks. Bernie, the Tobyhanna one, has a heart as big as all outdoors and would gladly give you the shirt off his back. However, just like my oldest, don’t cross him. Matter of fact, don’t cross any of them! There’s not a night I don’t give thanks for those boys and my ladies.

I had occasion to have a meal at a place I’ve gone by tons of times and never stopped to check out. Knobby’s Overboard on Rt 507. What a surprise; excellent service, excellent food and affordable. I didn’t say cheap, I said affordable. And worth the price. Nick, the owner talked to me for a while and I got the impression he was the real thing; a business man, father and husband and all around nice person. I will guarantee I will stop there and soon. You know I don’t “plug” a place unless I’ve actually been there and Knobby’s is no exception. He probably won’t remember me, but mention me anyway. You never know…

What’s going on with the fuel prices? Diesel is now $4.00 a gallon some places and it’s going to go higher and gas isn’t far behind. My brother just parked his diesel VW and got a Honda or something that gives better mileage. I’m thinking about dumping my Dodge Diesel truck! That’s going to hurt.

Time to end this and send it to Leo. You know the routine….Watch the Ice.

Webb                                                  webbgjr@verizon.net                        © 2008 Webb Gilpin, Jr.

We’ve often heard the phrase “In the right place at the right time.” I’ve been there a time or two, we all have and sometimes the phrase rings true loud and clear. It did for me Saturday morning about 9:45 AM. I was driving on I-84 east just before mile marker 25 when I saw something white high in a tree. At first I thought it was a plastic grocery bag, but quickly dismissed that idea when I noticed it was motionless and there was a little breeze. My next thought caused me to grip the steering wheel a little tighter and lean toward the windshield. “Snowy owl” was what shot through my mind. I gave my mirror a quick glance and then slowed down a bit. Yes, it was a snowy owl; my first! He was in plain view and only about 50-60 feet above the ground. I got a real good look at him/her and then got the truck back up to speed. Now the good part; I had my camera with me and never once gave it a thought. What a pic for the magazine! Double darn.

On a sad note; a good friend passed away recently that I had met a long time ago. Blue Ridge Cable TV 13’s Weatherman Bob Gruber lost his battle and went elsewhere to report the always sunny weather. I had been invited to their studio and it was there that I met him along with George Roberts, Kim Bell and everyone’s sweet heart Marie Johns. As much as I liked George, Kim and Marie, Bob won me over. Afterward, it was not unusual for him to call me for the weather and to chat a bit. I along with many others will miss Bob.

As most everyone knows, I’m not a fan of some of the ridiculous commercials on TV, especially the ads for prescription drugs. They bug the dickens out of me. However, once in a while a good one comes along. That’s good by my standards. The Pa Instant Lottery has a good one; it’s Gus (the second most famous woodchuck in Pennsylvania) picking up his date. I think her name is Gabby (someone correct me if I’m wrong) and for good reason, it gets a 9.5 in my book. I would consider a ten, but can’t; that’s reserved for the California Cows commercial. If you need a good laugh, look them up on your machine. Don’t know how, then type this in; http://www.realcaliforniamilk.com/pages/english/happyCowsTV.aspx#

My brother called me last Saturday (that would be Snowy Owl Day) and asked if I wanted to have breakfast with him Sunday morning. My quick reply of “Yes” was followed by “Where”. He came back with “The Masonic Lodge in Hamlin”. OK, why not. I was in for a nice surprise, the food was very good, the price was right and if you asked nicely, you got a little extra (seconds, anyone?) I think half of Newfoundland and ¾ of Hamlin walked through the door. Buck had called our uncle in Scranton and he showed up. Now Uncle Glen is a critic, he will pick anything apart if it isn’t perfect or near perfect. He gave the meal two thumbs-up. I asked when they were going to serve breakfast again, but can’t remember when it is. Sorry. I’ll find out more info. E-mail me.

So, did you notice that it’s pothole season? The road crews are going to be busy little beavers this spring/summer. And I heard talk that the intersection of Rt. 191/507 in Newfoundland might get started this year. In case you don’t know; Rt. 191 will bear slightly to the left before it meets Rt. 507 (at a 90 deg angle) and end at a stop sign. I guess you could call it a “T” intersection. I hope it works; there’s been a lot of accidents there.

Congrats to Roz and Paul. Stop in at Spanky’s and wish the new owners good luck. Nice people, them two.

Take this seriously now, …….Watch the Ice.

Webb                                                  webbgjr@verizon.net                        © 2008 Webb Gilpin, Jr.

I read something the other day that made a lot of sense; buy a “flash card” (a small plastic gadget that can store a lot of info and that can be plugged into a computer). They’re not expensive and can possibly save your life. Listen up and decide if this is right for you. Using a computer with a word processing program on it (such as MS Word), type in your name, address, age (if you want), height, weight, blood type, any medicines you’re taking, your doctor(s) name(s), next of kin, etc and save it to the flash card. I have a 1 GB flash card that can hold all of my medical/emergency data and that of perhaps 5 or 6 more people. Actually, I have no idea how many people could store their personal “stuff” on one, they can hold a LOT! Most of them come with a lanyard that allows you to hang it around your neck. God forbid, if anything bad happens, all the info a doctor or hospital would need is there for the reading. I thought about the possibility of losing it and the wrong people finding it, but that could just as easily happen to your wallet or purse. And if you save the text part in MS Word, you can password it. However, by doing that no one can open it but you and you might be unconscious. I’ve weighed the pros and cons and think it’s a good idea.

Did Super Tuesday have any surprises for you? This is the first time I have ever looked at ALL the candidates- both parties- and I’m not happy. So far, not one of them has said anything that pleases me. Please don’t think that’s a reason for me not voting. I’ll vote and have ever since I was eligible. Perhaps I’m being too critical. I suppose there are others out there that feel the same way as I do? Wouldn’t surprise me one bit.

The Greene-Dreher Historical Society is looking for something! We want people to send us short or not so short stories about their life here in Greene and Dreher Townships. We’re not asking for lifers to contribute, but anyone that lives here, whether for a month or forever. Perhaps it was your first impression of the area or the people you met. Maybe you moved into an old house and it has a story to tell. Perhaps your great-great grandfather was one of the first ones here. There’s a lot of stories out there! Get cracking, folks. Send them to me or to the Hist Soc at http://www.greenehs.org/. And of course, we’re always looking for volunteers for some of our committees. Don’t preconceive here, one of the committees it to sit for a few hours at the Fair at our booth. That’s an easy and fun one. Then again, we have a lawn to mow, some light painting…you know, the usual around-the-house jobs. Get in touch with us and who knows, you might like it!

February the 19th is my birthday! No, I won’t tell you how old I am. I will tell you this though; I remember when rocks were soft and every car had a set of chains in the trunk. (Thanks Art P.) So, keep the date in mind…I like presents. Or just a Happy B-day, Webb. (Talk about vanity!!!) I must start being more outgoing.

I’m about ready to back-up everything I have on this machine and reformat it. It has turned into Mr. Slow and regrettably, there’s only one sure-fire way to cure it. I’m running Windows XP Home on this one and Windows XP Pro on the two in the basement. XP Pro has more “stuff”, but for the home user, XP Home is just fine. As for Vista, I tried it and then got rid of it. Definitely not for me. And Word 2007 is, well different. I should have kept Word 2003. Lots easier and user-friendly.

Saturday morning I looked out the back porch window to watch the turkeys feeding and there, right before my eyes, were 5 Jakes in full strut! Jakes are young tom turkeys (teenagers) that have not grown a beard yet. Yes, I’m serious! They have to be a couple of years old to grow a beard. Anyway, one of them gobbled. Why am I mentioning this? Because they usually don’t start strutting and gobbling until very late March or the first half of April. As I said, teenagers. Yup, we’ve all been there. Young and dumb. The fun years. I see heads nodding in agreement.

Time to quit. Please be careful and above all…..Watch the Ice.

Webb                                                  webbgjr@verizon.net                        © 2008 Webb Gilpin, Jr.

A few weeks ago, my Mom and I were either going to or coming from Church, and we were discussing the differences in how people respond to certain situations. I had commented about the reasoning some people used to explain their thoughts and decisions and that each of us is a different person with different ideas. She agreed and then came out with this; “Well, society is made up with odds and ends, isn’t it?” I couldn’t have put it better. Kinda covered all bases, didn’t it?

Did Christmas swing by recently? The reason I ask is I’ve been seeing Billy Mays plugging every “worthwhile” gadget and trinket lately and he usually does that around Christmas. You do know Billy Mays, don’t you?  He’s the borderline hysterical barker for flashlights that glow in the dark and that you must have, exercise machines that do the work for you, knives that NEVER need sharpening and a slew of other products that all share a few things in common, besides costing $19.95 plus shipping and handling, that is. How about these famous (and to me irritating) phrases; “Call now” and who can forget “But wait”. “But wait” is usually followed by an offer to double or even triple your order at no additional cost to you. Oh my, where’s my credit card? I can’t pass this bargain up! Wanna bet?

I came across a book written by country comedian Jeff Foxworthy entitled “Redneck Dictionary II”.  He’s the host for the TV show “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?”  and a comedy show on CMT cable. That said, here’s a very short sampling of what awaits you within the pages of the Dictionary; page 36, EGYPT= ”Aw, man, Egypt me!” and on page 84, NARROW=  “Sure wish I hadn’t bought Kenny that bow narrow.” There are 151 pages of “good stuff.” As an afterthought, Jeff is credited with saying the reason NASCAR fans collectively don’t like Jeff Gordon is because he “enunciates.”

One cold morning a short time ago, there was a car wreck on a curve about a mile from here. It’s a nasty little curve that can cause a whole lot of problems if you aren’t paying attention. Throw in some ice and snow still on the roadway and you have the recipe for a problem. From what I heard, it wasn’t serious, but they did announce over the radio that they had a partial entrapment. What’s a partial entrapment? Is that where you didn’t have your seatbelt on and when you made contact with the windshield, your lips froze fast? Sorry  J

It was mentioned on one of the TV networks that for the first time ever, they have a biography started for a person that is or is less than thirty years of age. They do that so if the person dies, they have the bio ready. Know who it is? Britney Spears! I think that’s very sad. If ever a person needed help, it’s her. And every time I think about who has custody of the children, I see red. The only way I would change my mind about “him” would be if they gave him a drug test every other day. Perhaps I’m being unfair, I don’t really know the man.

Who says you can’t find a bargain any more? If you happen to look in the right direction, you might see one. Like for instance; I went into Dutch’s Market in Greentown and glanced at the candy assortment. WHOA, there were nice sized chocolate lollipops with I Love You on them and they were going for 5 for $.05. You read right, a penny a piece. Of course, I only bought two…one for each of the girls. OK, you caught me, I only had two cents on me and I found them in the True Value parking lot.

Taken from actual student bloopers collected by teachers from 8^th grade through college. “Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf he wrote loud music. He took long walks in the forest even when everyone was calling for him. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died for this.”

Anyone know how to get Word 2007 to count lines? It counts words, but not lines.

Too cold to be out, better to stay in with a glass of good stuff and…..Watch the Ice.

Webb                                                  webbgjr@verizon.net                        © 2008 Webb Gilpin, Jr.

Now let’s see, what happened since the last article? First there was Christmas (more about that later), then New Years rolled around and then a few of the fellas showed up and split most of my wood. And I now have MS Office Pro 2007. But for now…

Christmas. I love Christmas and all that it represents to us Christians. It is a time to rejoice and give thanks for all we have and pray for better times here at home and around the world. We have a lot of good men and women risking their lives for us everyday in foreign lands and they need all the support we can give them and that includes spiritual as well as material.

It was the commercial Christmas that failed me this year…all I got was clothes! Not one stinking present that required a wrench or screwdriver. I mean, how bad can it get? If just one person had wrapped a nut and bolt and gave it to me, it wouldn’t have been so bad. Well, just you wait, it’ll be Easter pretty soon and I hope no one expects candy in their baskets; it ain’t gonna happen!

New Years came in while I was resting my eyes. OK, OK, I fell asleep. I did manage to catch Australia’s celebrations earlier and I think I might have seen England’s fireworks, but the rest is kinda fuzzy. Not “fuzzy” like have another one, I mean “I-can’t-keep-them-open-any longer” fuzzy.  The same thing happened last year. I’m not complaining, just sorta wondering out loud about my age (or lack thereof). Gratefully, the kids let me sleep…no midnight phone calls. I think I’ll have to ask them if they stayed up for the Ball Drop.

I’m passing this along to my hunting buddies; there were very few bucks taken from the Hill or the hunt clubs adjoining our property. One club that usually gets 5 or more nice buck the first day, got one 6 pointer! The same for the other two clubs next to us. My friends to the south side of the property didn’t even see a buck. OK, neither did I, but there were 5 of them and only one of me.

Were you around last week when the temperature took the plunge? I checked one morning and the thermometer showed 1.9 degrees at 7 AM. Of course, that was the day my one son-in-law from Narrowsburg and one of my grandsons (Tobyhanna) picked to help me split wood. I thought about calling them to tell them to stay home, but once they get something in their heads, forget it. Does that have a familiar ring to it? Luckily, I’m not that way. (I’ll bet you $50 dollars my Mom laughs when she reads that). I remember her laughing many years ago and when I asked her why she was laughing, she said she was just glad there was only one of me. I didn’t think it was at all funny. FYI; a lot of wood was split and the coats came off!

I have been working at networking my two machines, one in the cellar and the other in what I call the computer room and it’s not quite as simple as Microsoft would have you believe. I did manage to get a link between the upstairs one and the basement one, but not the other way around. I can now sit at the upstairs one and run the basement one. I mean it will do everything you ask it to do as though you were sitting in front of it. Type it here and print it out there. Love it. Now if I could only come up with one good reason for doing it. I know; because I’m a man! That works, doesn’t it!!! And I’m now using Office Pro 2007. If you don’t need it, don’t do it! Ask me, I’ll tell you.

I was going to tell you something important, but it’s too hot to, so……Watch the Ice.

Webb                                                  webbgjr@verizon.net                        © 2008 Webb Gilpin, Jr.

Here it is; the last issue of 2007! I can say this with 100% honesty, where did this year go? The weather last winter at this time wasn’t too bad snow-wise, but the temperature was colder. I do remember that before the first days of spring, we got our fair share of the white stuff. I have a feeling we’ll get the same amount (or more) before this winters over. Right now (Monday before Christmas), the hill is a very big ice skating rink. If you remember, we had a rise in temperature and a heavy rain Sunday, then a quick freeze. However, the temperatures this week look a bit above normal. I can live with that.

I must comment here on the lack of Merry Christmas greetings this year (or am I just getting older and crankier?) There was only one store I went into at the Viewmont Mall where someone actually wished me a “Merry Christmas” and not “happy holidays” and I think that’s sad. Of course, that got my brain going; aren’t we a country governed by the will of the majority? And isn’t that majority mostly Christians? Therefore, what’s wrong with wishing someone/everyone a Merry Christmas? If you’re a non-believer, I’m sorry. I won’t retract what I said, I’m just sorry you brought your beliefs to my attention; I really don’t give one drop if you believe or not. That’s your problem, not mine.

In fact, I’m tired of this whole Politically Correct stuff, anyway. Why not Morally Correct instead? For those interested, the dictionary defines MORAL(LY) as;   “derived from personal conscience: based on what somebody’s conscience suggests is right or wrong, rather than on what rules or the law says should be done”. OR, as was just pointed out to me, maybe we’re just too lazy to type or write Merry Christmas and Happy New Year…happy holiday being 17 letters shorter and you can say it quicker. Whatever, I will not wish you or anyone else a happy holiday; it’s going to be Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah or Happy Kwanzaa and Happy New Year. I have spoken!!! “What got into him?” “Full moon when he wrote it.” “Oh .Poor guy”

For my “little” sister’s birthday, Mom took all of us to Hazzard’s Rainetree Restaurant in South Sterling to celebrate with a “special” meal. “Special” meaning NO HAMBURGERS AND FRIES. There’s very little left to be said about the Rainetree after you say excellent! Marti, our waitress was what you expect in a restaurant like the Rainetree; top-notch! She made the meal even better. Thank you, Marti. FYI; hazzardsrainetree.com.

Does the name Jeff Dunham ring a bell? If not, I suggest you look him up on Google or better still, YouTube (basically the same thing, Google owns YouTube. And while you’re on YouTube, you can watch and hear Queen Elizabeth II deliver her Christmas message for 2007.) Jeff Dunham is the best ventriloquist I have ever watched. His puppets include everyone’s favorite Walter, a grouchy old geezer with a sharp tongue and a sharper mind, Peanuts and four other characters. Jeff has two CD’s out (I have access to both) and it was impossible for me to just watch for a few minutes; I had to watch the entire 80 minutes! That says it all.

Have you ever done something you knew was the wrong thing to do, but you did it anyway? Of course you did! Wanna do it again? Of course you do. Ok, try this; for a return address, type in some fake finance company and then, bottom left of the business sized envelope, type in FINAL NOTICE. Send to a friend.

“If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times…..”  Watch the Ice

Webb                                                  webbgjr@verizon.net                        © 2007 Webb Gilpin, Jr.

Guess what time of year it is! Give up? Ok, here are a couple of hints; the Clapper is being advertised on TV as is the Chia Pet. Oh and let’s not forget the Ov Glove and the big push to sell lottery tickets. How about Zale’s Diamonds? Wanna take a guess? You’re right; it’s Christmas time! I’ll bet most of you knew when you saw Chia Pet. Actually, it’s Commercial Christmas time, the real Christmas comes on the 25^th of this month and has nothing to do with buying stuff, but rather giving things. “Things” being love and kindness toward each other, giving to those less fortunate than we are and giving thanks for just being here in the first place. I know I’m grateful for all I have and the friends around me. Of course, presents aren’t all that bad, are they?

This time of year is also the time we judge which is best; pumpkin pie with whipped cream or fruit cake made with good brandy. Hold on now, the alcohol has evaporated from the cake before you eat it. Sorry… Now, which is best? I like pumpkin pie with or without the whipped cream, but fruit cake is my favorite. Yes, I’m aware that I probably have put myself in the minority, but I like fruit cake. Perhaps homemade fruit cake is more accurate.

I was going to include pecan pie, but to me that’s like comparing ice cream and road tar; pecan pie is the ice cream! I remember one time many, many years ago when my Uncle Raymond sat at the kitchen table on the farm and cracked open a big bowl of hickory nuts so my Grandmother could make a “pecan” pie using the hickory nuts. He had the bottom part of a kitchen stove hand iron resting on a towel on the table and was using a small hammer to break open the shell. Hickory nuts are very tough “skinned”, they take a pretty good smack to open them and they’re not all that big to begin with. It takes a ton of them to make a pie. If you have a recipe that calls for pecans or walnuts, try substituting hickory nuts for the others. Where can you get them? From a shagbark hickory tree next year. Sorry…

I have to say thank you to Karen at Dutch’s Market for helping me a few days ago. I hate to shop for things I haven’t a clue how to use, such as any ingredient that gets mixed with other ingredients to make something you can eat. Karen knew just what I wanted and even led the way to the proper aisle. Thank you, Karen.

This will amuse you…or not. I was in Spanky’s a day or two ago, enjoying the coffee and the presence of my friends when the topic hit on haircuts. I usually go to Lake Ariel to Chapman’s Barber Shop and get up on all the local gossip while under the clippers. Not too expensive either. Well, one of the guys commented that he got his haircut next door to Spanky’s in a place called Jenn-A-Snippers. As soon as I caught my breath and stopped laughing, I asked him if he was serious. He was! In fact, Jennifer (Jenn of Jenn-A-Snippers) was in the diner getting a coffee to go and she heard the whole conversation. She asked me if I wanted a haircut and if I did, she’d do it right away. Oh boy, I had a problem. Except for Dawn at Chapman’s, no woman had ever cut my hair. Turns out, she didn’t either; Kim did it and I’m very pleased at the cut. Priced right, too.

No venison this year, at least not from our gang. Perhaps next year will be better.

If you went out Sunday night, I’ll bet you said….Watch the Ice

Webb                                                  webbgjr@verizon.net                        © 2007 Webb Gilpin, Jr.